El Alegre Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in DeForest

My wife and I stopped in for our first visit the other day after hearing some friends say that they loved this new Mexican restaurant. The only place in DeForest we had ever been to and enjoyed prior for Mexican was Arrandas. So we thought we would give it a go. We showed up on a Monday a little after lunch. The place was not super busy, it looked really clean, newer looking place. There's not a ton of style or much going on for decoration. However, we were immediately greeted and seated. The waitress was new and very polite. We ordered drinks and began to explore their huge menu. The Margeritas were tasty. Was not a big fan of their runny salsa or the cheese dip personally. I ordered the arracherra fajitas, and my wife had some Alegre special. It was all ok. It was small portions for the price, in my opinion, compared to other restaurants. The arrachera was thick and chewy. Not thin, not tenderized, and not charred up at all. Overall, I have nothing bad to say other than it was nothing special or memorable in any way. I'm glad we came and saw.. I would maybe come back on a weekend to try their...

First things first, I ordered the veggie fajitas and found both a piece of steak and a piece of chicken in it, so vegetarians must be wary.

This review is only based on one experience, I haven’t been here multiple times but I think it’s important to share.. We called here twice before we showed up, making a big party reservation for 26. When we arrived, the staff had no idea. Brian, who we had talked to on the phone, was out of the country apparently and gave the staff no information on our reservation. That debacle aside, the staff quickly pulled together seating for us and we’re getting drinks out in 20 minutes. They were quick and friendly, and though they had a full restaurant, I thought they kept up very well and the food was good. As mentioned above, however, my food had some cross-contamination surprises in it that should not happen.

I really don’t want to give this restaurant a bad review, as I said the staff did great, but those are a couple very big issues that can’t be overlooked.

Also, dine in if you can, takeout comes in styrofoam...

Very nice Mexican restaurant in town. They opened in 2019 (I think, according to their "4th year anniversary" sign in 2023), just before covid, but survived it. Glad they did, since we really enjoyed our food here!

There is outdoor seating that looks nice, on the deck. It isn't anything spectacular, but if you're not into smelling all the oils/smoke from the fajitas etc indoors, stay outside.

We had the parrillada norteña ($40) The dish is for 2, and comes in this cooking pan over a flame - but there was no flame. It was more for show. A little flame under the pan would actually have been pretty good in keeping our food warmer... but it was delicious nevertheless. The tortillas that came with the dish were corn, and lightly oiled before getting grilled (I think), and it was delicious. All the grilled steak, ribs, chicken and veggies were delicious. The cactus was interesting for first timers (me!), and not necessarily my favorite. Hubby and I each got a separate dish of rice, beans, guac, salad, etc. Overall, very tasty...